Michael Kilpatrick- Farmer, Leader, Speaker, Change agent

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Tag Archives: GrowNYC

GrowNYC, which sponsors the NYC greenmarket program, recently released a PDF entitled “Understanding Customer Behavior at Farmer’s Markets”. I read through it this morning and thought there were some great takeaways. It’s a great resource for anyone selling at farmers markets or a produce stand.

Big takeaway- Do you step back and watch customers interact with your stall? Are you watching customer flow? After we had set up our stand and the market started, we would step across the aisle and watch customers. Our goal was to see how they moved by and hopefully through our stand. We would also “secret shop” our stands to see how employees where interacting with our customers.

Provide plenty of room inside the stall for customer movement. In retail science, there is something called “butt room”. Customers become uncomfortable when their personal space is invaded during a shopping experience and that can influence brand perception and future shopping habits.

Loyalty cards are great- customers always want to feel part of a “club” or “program”. Especially for staples which they can buy from anyone like salad mix, ground beef, or eggs, this can help drive sales.

Pile product high! If you can display 100 bunches of radishes, do! It will help sales as people are drawn to abundance. Of course, then it can wilt, you might say. Keep it looking fresh by spraying it down with water, we used something like this.

Selling meat or hot food presents special challenges. Many growers are using rolling ice cream freezers to keep meat frozen while still allowing customers to see the product. Having big, colorful posters displayed as well as offering samples can also boost displays.

You can read the entire report here.What unique things do you do that help drive your farmers market sales?

About

I’m a farmer, presenter, and blogger who lives to help farmers apply business principles and best practices to farming and agriculture. I have managed a large certified organic farm, presented at farm and agricultural conferences, and consulted with farmers around the country.